Custom MIDI Controller for Zebra

[unixgeek42]

Hi,

I am think about building a custom controller for Zebra for live use - both with Ableton Live and live

The brain will be an Arduino board with ALPS Multi Controll Devices (http://www.alps.com/WebObjects/catalog. ... _list.html) for the 4 XY controls on the "Perform" page of Zebra.

What do you think: Should I also include buttons or encoders as well? That would pretty much make it a desktop-controller - or only the Multi Controll Devices (Joysticks) in which case I think it would be more of a hand-held device like a game controller??

Maybe I will even use a Nintendo Nunchuk as a controller for only one XY (two if we use the motion detection and the small joystick)...

What do you think?

[rsmus7]

pretty good idea

I would build in some encoders and buttons
for a conveniet editing in not live situations too

and I think some people might be interested in such a controller for zebra

will you sell it later?

[unixgeek42]

Some additional hardware links:

http://www.doepfer.de/pe.htm (see joystick lower right corner)
http://www.tinker.it/en/Tutorials/WiiNunchuck

And I forgot to mention: Of course the box will be zebra-striped

[Cyoon]

i definatly would be interested..

i use a korg nano pad with cubase but it doesn't really work with the xy pad sadly..

hope yours will do it..

buttons would be nice but dont have to be there..

cheers

[unixgeek42]

will you sell it later?

I was thinking more along the lines of open-source-hardware. All the info will be published on my website www.retro68k.org (right now there is nothing there yet...).
But if it results in a more professional product (which will be needed to play live with it) maybe we can order some parts (e.g. a proper case) with everybody that is interested to get a better price...

[Cyoon]

sure..its a great idea..just keep us updated..

i will be in for a group buy and great attitude to make it as open source project..

[rsmus7]

will you sell it later?

I was thinking more along the lines of open-source-hardware. All the info will be published on my website www.retro68k.org (right now there is nothing there yet...).
But if it results in a more professional product (which will be needed to play live with it) maybe we can order some parts (e.g. a proper case) with everybody that is interested to get a better price...

superb


a DIY controller for zebra

[unixgeek42]

So, I have set-up a project website:
http://www.retro68k.org/zebra.html

Not much on there but it will fill up eventually

I was thinking about the controls, wouldn't it be nice to have the four joysticks _and_ be able to toggle through the presets? That way you could have a couple presets prepared for a gig and then just toggle through them while you play!
BUT: For that we would need a change in Zebra I think, namely MIDI-learn for the preset window...

Also, I think it will have to be a desktop controller, that way you can play the notes on your keyboard with one hand and the cutoff, FX or whatever is on the four XYs with the other.

What I am currently looking for is a source for good joysticks (two-way) - something like the one of the ARTURIA ORIGIN for example or the joystick of the KORG M50 (only we'll have _four_...).

And: A good case, maybe somthing like a big guitar stompbox (hand-painted with Zebra-stripes, of course). But this has time, I will wire up a prototype and see how it goes with the MIDI communication first.

[unixgeek42]

a DIY controller for zebra

Exactly.

[unixgeek42]

i use a korg nano pad with cubase but it doesn't really work with the xy pad sadly..

What doesn't work? MIDI assignment?

[bmrzycki]

Reaper has support for Game Joysticks in 3.x. I wrote a custom script that lets you use a standard USB gamepad with 2 analog joysticks to do what you're trying to do.

You can use it with multiple joysticks at a time and the scripting interface is dead-easy. It works great with the Zebra perform page.

Here's a link to the Cockos forum page that describes the usage of the program as well as the code itself.

I know it's not a generalized midi solution. So far the OS X port of Reaper doesn't support Joysticks yet so this is a Windows solution for now.

Regarding preset changing - Zebra supports MIDI program change codes (MIDI byte 0xCn) but only for 128 presets in the MIDI Programs/ patch folder. Urs said he had to implement it this way for host-specific reasons. Just name your presets 000 Preset 1.h2p
...
127 Preset 127.h2p

And they'll cycle through them in the order you expect.

http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=41416

I'm looking forward to seeing how your project turns out. I've thought about this myself for some time.

[djsubject]

Regarding preset changing - Zebra supports MIDI program change codes (MIDI byte 0xCn) but only for 128 presets in the MIDI Programs/ patch folder. Urs said he had to implement it this way for host-specific reasons. Just name your presets 000 Preset 1.h2p
...
127 Preset 127.h2p

And they'll cycle through them in the order you expect.

Urs added 128 banks with 128 presets per bank,

just add folders in your midi programs folder in the presets folder each new folder acts as a new bank & responds to midi bank change commands

so you can have 16384 presets selectable from your midi controller

Subz

[Optomadic]

I was thinking more along the lines of open-source-hardware.

Please do !

[unixgeek42]

just add folders in your midi programs folder in the presets folder each new folder acts as a new bank & responds to midi bank change commands

so you can have 16384 presets selectable from your midi controller

This is nice, I just stumbled over the program change while reading MIDI documentation. I will definitely include two buttons for basicly a [0xCn]++ or --.

[unixgeek42]

Reaper has support for Game Joysticks in 3.x. I wrote a custom script that lets you use a standard USB gamepad with 2 analog joysticks to do what you're trying to do.

Thank you for the info, very interesting especially because I didn't hear about Reaper before!

I thought about using a gamepad, there are nice options here. Some are real easy to hack and integrate into an Arduino setup (e.g. the NES controller). But in the end I think I'd like something more solid, as I said I like a metal case and don't mind if it looks nice. Like that for example:

http://www.jomox.com/product_details.ph ... oduct_id=3

http://www.lehle.com/frameset.php?country=de&lang=en